Complete 2-Day Amsterdam Itinerary

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We spent 3 nights (only 2 full days) in Amsterdam in May this past year and it’s an absolutely beautiful city, which we admired everywhere we walked.

My husband had visited Amsterdam before and told me how beautiful it is; a big reason why we wanted to make sure we visited with our kids.

My husband had been there previously and was able to be a great guide and recommended great things for us to do.

Since we had limited time (and kids with us) I learned how to build a compact itinerary that isn’t too rushed, and shows you the best of Amsterdam.

What You Need to Know about this Amsterdam Itinerary

✅ This itinerary will work with adults, or with kids (but I will specify if some activities are best for a certain age range or interest.)

✅ You don’t need a car. Amsterdam is very pedestrian-friendly and easy to get around via bike. Also, the central station is right downtown and convenient for day trips to other parts of the country

2-Day Amsterdam Itinerary

Day 1 in Amsterdam

1. Walk around downtown Amsterdam (especially the Joordan neighourhood)

Time needed: 1-2 hours, or however much time you need!

One of the most important things to do in Amsterdam is just to wander around. It’s such a beautiful city, with so many canals and blooming flowers in the warm months.

You want some time to just walk around, familiarizing yourself with it, and taking it in. Here’s what you can expect to see:

• Endless canals with boats and stacked buildings
• Lots of open parks, courtyards and gardens
• So many people on bikes (be sure to stay off bike paths – the bikers have the right of way, not pedestrians)
• Lots of bike stands, some with 100s of parked bikes

I would recommend prioritizing the Jordaan neighbourhood first, which is in the northern downtown part of Amsterdam. Some say that if you’re only going to see one spot in Amsterdam, it should be Jordaan.

The Jordaan neighbourhood has narrow canals, trendy boutiques, hole-in-the-wall restaurants and cafés.

Things to check out in the Jordaan neighbourhood:

• The Prince’s Canal (one of the three main canals in Amsterdam) a must for photos
• Lots of beautiful historic buildings, and boat tours
• The Noordmarkt, which is held on Saturdays and Mondays
• Lots of interesting museums to pop into – the Boathouse Museum, the Tulip Museum, the Pianola Museum and the Cheese Museum
• Winkel43, which is a cafe meant to have the best apple pie in the city
• Karthuizersstraat, a pedestrian-only street with a hidden garden at 61-71.
• Anne Frank House, which I specifically have on the itinerary for this afternoon

2. Grab lunch

After spending some time walking around, I recommend grabbing something to eat if you’re hungry.

Amsterdam actually has a decent food scene. (Don’t be too concerned with it being Dutch food.) There’s a great foodie scene from international cuisine as well.

Here are some recommendations of things to try or places to eat in downtown Amsterdam:

• Pancakes Amsterdam Negen Straatjes is best place in Amsterdam to get Dutch pancakes, and it’s about a 15 minute walk from the Jordaan area. If you want a closer spot, there’s also a pancake place right beside the Anne Frank House
• Winkel43, as mentioned above (best apple pie in town) also serves lunch – check out the menu here
• If it happens to be a Saturday, then you can find food at the Noordmarkt, an open-air farmer’s market in a beautiful square in Jordaan
• If it’s not a Saturday, head to the Amsterdam Foodhallen located at Hannie Dankbaarpassage 16. It’s an indoor venue with numerous vendors that sell a diverse range of food – noodles, Mexican, Asian street food, dim sum, and desserts. Check out options here

3. Anne Frank’s House

Time needed: around 1 hour
*Must book 6 weeks in advance*

The reason I put the Anne Frank house as the last activity on day 1 is that:

• It books up very far in advance, so unless you’re really on the ball, you may find that the Anne Frank house is all sold out in the mornings of the days you’re in Amsterdam. (This is what happened to me, so I managed to score a visit at 6:30 pm, which ended up being fine.)
• It’s only a 15-minute walk from heart of Jordaan. But if you’re staying somewhere in downtown Amsterdam, then it shouldn’t be too far of a walk either way. We walked to the Anne Frank House from where we were staying, and it was only a 20-minute walk
• However, if you can get in for morning on one of the days you’re here, that maybe better. You could alternate it with walking around Jordaan neighbourhood if you wanted to

Evening Activities in Amsterdam

Looking for things to do in the evening (on day 1, 2 or even 3) in Amsterdam? There are lots of night activities for those looking to get out.

• Amsterdam Canal Cruise With Live Guide and Unlimited Drinks (all ages) $35 per person, 1-hour cruise
• Jordaan Food and Drink Tour (all ages) 3 hours, and $140 per person. *this tour is available during the day too, but also in the evening. Its offered at 4pm, 5pm and 6pm*
• Catch some live music! Spendor Amsterdam is a great place to see live music for jazz, folk and other types of music
• Walk through the Red Light District (De Wallen), as its a tourist attraction in itself and not at all seedy how you may picture it. However, you are not allowed to take photos there

Day 2 in Amsterdam

1. Visit the Rijksmuseum and/or Van Gogh Museum

Time needed: 2+ hours

The Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum are art museums and feature the history of Dutch Art.

There are so many interesting museums in Amsterdam, but these two are the most popular, and the ones you’d need to buy tickets for in advance.

You could do both if you want to, but I would probably only choose one. If you only have 2 days in Amsterdam, you may not want to spend the entire time in museums.

Here are some facts to help you decide between the two big museums:

• The Rijksmuseum is the National Gallery and features work by plenty of artists, whereas the Van Gogh one obviously focuses on Van Gogh.
• The Rijksmuseum such a beautiful building, in the inside and out. Even jut to be able to walk through the courtyards makes it worth it, in my opinion.
• If you’re a huge Van Gogh fan, then this is obviously the ultimate place to see most of his work all together. He was Dutch, and spent time living in Amsterdam

To be honest, Amsterdam was so busy when we were there (late May) and I couldn’t get tickets to go inside the museums, so we visited the outside of them only. There was a great Museum Gift Shop located in large square where Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum are located. It had great Amsterdam, Dutch and Van Gogh themed souvenirs

2. Grab lunch

Any of the lunch places I suggested from yesterday would still work, except they’re a bit further away. Here are some lunch options in the area surrounding the museums:

• Proeflokaal ‘t Blauwe Theehuis, the restaurant inside Vondelpark!
• De Vondeltuin, a family-friendly cafe right on the edge of Vondelpark
• The Foodhallen, if you haven’t gone there yet

2. Head to Vondelpark, OR wander more through the city

Time needed: around an hour

Vondelpark is a large, gorgeous historic park in the downtown core of Amsterdam. On a gorgeous day, it’s a beautiful place to get lost in and just enjoy the scenery.

If it’s not a nice day, or if this isn’t your idea of fun, then I would continue spending time wandering through the city, or some of my other suggested activities:

• Walk around the area surrounding the Van Gogh Museum and/Rijksmuseum.
• Visit the Foodhallen, if you haven’t already

3. Do a riverboat cruise

Time needed: 1-2 hours

A canal cruise in Amsterdam is an absolute must. It allows you to see the city from a different perspective and take more of the city in than you could get on foot.

There are a few different companies to book boat tours from.

• Amsterdam Boat Trips – we decided to do their cheese and drinks tour, all ages are welcome. We really liked the experience, I’d recommend booking with them

Amsterdam Tips – Know Before You Go

• Most of the public bathrooms cost money, including the ones in chain restaurants, like Burger King. The ones we saw all took credit card, so have your credit card handy!
• Stay out of the bicycle lanes, and do your research before renting a bike. The bikers have the right of way. I also wouldn’t recommend renting a bike here unless you’re a VERY confident biker in cities because the bike culture here is a lot more aggressive than other cities.
• Everyone speaks English – in fact, it seemed to me that English was the operating language of downtown Amsterdam! I noticed that many things were written in English, but not in Dutch and there are plenty of people living/working there that don’t even speak Dutch. If you do want to be polite and use some Dutch though, then “Dank je well” (pronounced “dunka vell”) is thank you, and Ja/Nee is Yes/No.
• Some of the places with the name Café or Kafé are actually bars, not just cafés that serve coffe

Where to Stay in Amsterdam

Most places in Amsterdam for under $200 per night tend to be hostels – there are a good chunk of hostels in Amsterdam, with dorm rooms and bunk beds. However, here are some hotel-style accommodations at different budget levels

• Budget: De Bedstee Boutique Capsules Very cute Dutch-style capsule accommodations, right near all the museums downtown
• Mid-Range: Mr. Jordaan Hotel – if you can get in here, it’s a great spot very close to the Anne Frank House, and close to the Jordaan neighbourhood. Has a buffet breakfast, and multilingual front desk staff
• Luxury: The Pavilions Amsterdam, The Toren Beautiful courtyard, stylish rooms, breakfast provided, and located in the Joordan neighbourhood, pratically a stone’s throw from the Anne Frank House
• Canal View Home in Center – this is where we stayed. Phenomenal views, I would never stay anywhere else. It lacks in eating space, kitchen and the stairs getting to the top are challenging for some people. But if these aren’t deal breakers for you, then I’d recommend it!

Things to Not Miss Trying in Amsterdam

• Hagelslag – toast with chocolate sprinkles (you can buy the sprinkles in a supermarket)
• Dutch pancakes – there are larger thin ones, and then the mini ones
• Waffles, which you will see around the city. They are so perfectly baked, and soft
• Dutch craft beers (if you enjoy beer)

Other Things to Do in Amsterdam (Besides What Was Mentioned on this Itinerary)

• Wereldmuseum Amsterdam – a large museum in a beautiful historic building that resembles a castle. It’s an art museum.
• Moco Museum is an art museum showcasing modern and contemporary art. It’s located in a cute house in Amsterdam, in the same square as the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum

Amsterdam FAQ

Here are the most commonly asked questions about visiting Amsterdam, and how long to stay

How many days in Amsterdam is enough?

I believe that you should have AT LEAST 2 full days in Amsterdam to really begin to enjoy it – but try for 3. If you mostly want to walk around taking in the scenery, then 2-3 days is a good amount of time to spend in Amsterdam. But if you want to take advantage of several of the museums, monuments and activities, then you’ll need more than 3 days.

Is 5 days in Amsterdam too much?

5 days in Amsterdam is definitely too much. When we were visiting there, a big part of me wished we just had a huge chunk of time – maybe even a whole month to take in this beautiful city, explore the history and indulge into Dutch way of life. Spend as much time as you can in Amsterdam!

Is Amsterdam expensive to visit?

Oh yes, Amsterdam is extremely expensive. My family and I spent 2 months travelling through Northern Europe. We paid more for our downtown Amsterdam accommodation than we did everywhere else (including Stockholm, Edinburgh, Dublin, and Copenhagen) and it was for a 2-bedroom, whereas we normally aimed for 3-bedrooms.

Final Thoughts on Amsterdam Itinerary

I hope that this 2-day Amsterdam itinerary has helped you plan an amazing weekend in Amsterdam. This is exactly how it was for us, we arrived on a Thursday night and flew out on a Sunday, to Copenhagen.

Amsterdam is a gorgeous city worth exploring and I believe that this itinerary shows you how to experience the best highlights on limited time.